Upper Madison Fishing Report
Current Conditions:
The Upper is producing consistent fishing and is a good bet on a hot day as long as you get an early start. On hot days, the morning fishing has been very good and then tapers off as the day progresses with afternoon fishing pretty slow after 2pm unless cloud cover hits. As we start to see some cooler weather move in an early start wont be as imperative. The dry fly bite has been decent early morning with caddis dries and is day to day in the afternoon on hoppers and other terrestrials (some days are great, others tougher on the surface). The terrestrial fishing continues to get better by the day. Nymph fishing has produced consistent results with large sculpin patterns now starting to move more fish. The rubber leg stones are still moving some fish with the tail end of the nocturnal stone hatch, especially on the lower reaches of the river. Some type of caddis related pattern as a dropper is a good idea in the early morning and then smaller attractor nymphs behind something big is a safe bet for after 11am.
The Month Ahead:
The next few weeks should continue to produce some good fishing. The fishing scenario isn’t going to change much in the coming weeks from the current report. Terrestrials will become more important and the beetle and ant fishing should improve. As we move later into the month we should start seeing baetis mayflies becoming more active and provide some great dry fly fishing opportunities.
Long Term Fishing Forecast:
The Upper Madison is a very consistent fishery and this season should continue to produce good results up and down the river. The reports listed above should hold out into mid September. Things start to change a bit later in the fall with some baetis mayflies becoming an important factor. Fall fishing is always good on the Upper Madison.
